June 25, 2015
The Pacific NorthWest Economic Region's 25th Annual Summit, July 12-16 in Big Sky, Montana, is rapidly approaching! The biggest cross-border issues and regional challenges impacting economic development, trade and our natural resources and environment will be discussed and addressed at in-depth workshops and policy sessions.

Sign up for Policy Tours
Summit attendees receive complementary registration for one of six immersive afternoon policy tours on Tuesday, July 14 to see Montana innovation and industry at work. Agriculture, water policy, recreation manufacturing, Bozeman's high-tech cluster, craft brewing and distilling and the economic of national park tourism are featured on these exciting and educational outings. 

Guests can also register for optional tours. A tour showcasing mining and forestry in Northwest Montana will take place July 11-12, Wednesday tours take guests fishing, rafting and hiking, and a post-summit tour will explore Yellowstone National Park. 

Explore our tour selection in detail at www.pnwer.org/policy-tours.html.

To register for tours, log back in to your event registration or give PNWER a call
at 206-443-7723. 
Book your travel now!
Flights are filling quickly into Bozeman so book yours soon. Once in Bozeman, you can rent a car, take a shuttle, or join a rideshare to Big Sky Resort. Visit our Travel page for more information.
Who You'll See at the Summit
Keynote Speakers

Governor Steve Bullock
Governor of Montana
Steve Bullock, Montana's former attorney general, was elected as the state's 24th governor on Nov. 6, 2012. 
Bullock's top priorities as governor have been to improve the quality of jobs and education in his state and increase government efficiency. He and his wife Lisa have three children: Caroline, Alexandria and Cameron.

Ambassador Bruce A. Heyman
Ambassador of the United States of America to Canada 
Bruce Heyman presented his letter of credence to the Governor General of Canada on April 8, 2014, having been confirmed as President Obama's personal representative to Canada on March 12, 2014, and having been sworn in on March 26, 2014.
Ambassador Bruce Heyman 
United States Ambassador to Canada
Hon. Bruce Heyman presented his letter of credence to the Governor General of Canada on April 8, 2014. He is a 33-year veteran of Goldman Sachs, where he served as a regional managing director of the Midwest private wealth management group, which covers 13 states and half of Canada, from 1999 until December of 2013.  

 

Mr. Heyman has served as a board member for the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and the Northwestern Memorial Hospital Foundation, and served as an advisor to the Fix the Debt CEO Council of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget.  

 

 

Matt Rose 
Executive Chairman, BNSF Railway Company
Matt Rose is the executive chairman of BNSF Railway Company after having served 13 years as chief executive officer and 11 years as chairman. BNSF became a Berkshire Hathaway-owned company in 2010. 

Rose joined Burlington Northern Railroad in 1993. He held several positions in the railroad's Merchandise Business Unit before being named senior vice president and chief operations officer. Rose was was made president and chief operating officer in 1999.

 

 

Samuel Schulhofer-Wohl
Senior Vice President and Director of Research, Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis
Samuel Schulhofer-Wohl has been a member of the Minneapolis Fed's research department since 2010, serving most recently as a senior research economist and advisor. Prior to joining the bank, he was an assistant professor in the Department of Economics at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. Schulhofer-Wohl received his Ph.D. in economics from The University of Chicago.

 

 

 

Sen. Steve Daines

U.S. Senator for Montana
Steve is a lifelong sportsman and grew up in Bozeman, Montana. He attended Montana State University - Bozeman and graduated with a B.S. in Chemical Engineering. 

In the U.S. Senate, Daines is working on issues of critical importance to growing good-paying Montana jobs, developing our state's energy resources, managing our public lands and supporting the needs of Montana's tribes. He serves on the Senate Committees on Energy and Natural Resources, Commerce, Indian Affairs and Appropriations. 


 

Sue Saarnio
Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Canada, Mexico and Regional Economic Policy 
Sue Saarnio is the Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Canada, Mexico and Regional Economic Policy. Ms. Saarnio previously served as Director of Canadian Affairs and started her diplomatic career at the U.S. Embassy in Mexico City.  She is a career Foreign Service Officer with 30 years of experience working on international trade and economic issues in the U.S. State Department. 
 


Denis Stevens 
Deputy Head of Mission, Embassy of Canada 

Mr. Stevens has served with the Canadian Government for 19 years, 10 of them in management positions in the departments of Justice; Indian and Northern Affairs; Public Safety and at the Privy Council Office, the department that serves the Prime Minister and the Cabinet.

Mr. Stevens previously served as Consul General of Canada in Seattle. Mr. Stevens earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in International Relations with great honors from Harvard University. He earned his law degree and Masters of Business Administration from McGill University. A native of Montréal, Mr. Stevens is married to Gen Chanteloup, and they have two daughters.


Dr. Royce C. Engstrom
President, University of Montana

The University of Montana's 17th President, Dr. Royce C. Engstrom, assumed his duties on October 15, 2010, after serving as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs for three years. He came to Missoula in 2007 from the University of South Dakota, where he served as Professor and Chair of Chemistry, Vice President for Research and Dean of the Graduate School and Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.

 

 

 

Dr. Waded Cruzado 
President, Montana State University
Since January of 2010, Dr. Waded Cruzado has served as the 12th President of Montana State University, and during that time she has significantly reshaped the face and future of the state's first land-grant institution.

 

Prior to coming to MSU, President Cruzado served as executive vice president and provost at New Mexico State University, posts she held since Sept. 1, 2007, and served as NMSU's interim president from 2008-2009.


PNWER Summit Coming Soon - Register Today!
Working Group Co-Chairs and Speakers

 

Agriculture

Co-Chair: Larry Doke, MLA, Saskatchewan
Co-Chair: Patrick Kole, Vice President, Legal & Government Affairs
Leslie Blakey, President, Coalition for America's Gateways and Trade Corridors
Kim Falcon, Department Chief, Montana Department of Agriculture
Shelley Jones, Manager, Agriculture Awareness, Saskatchewan Ministry of Agriculture
Keith Mussar, Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, I.E. Canada
John Youngberg, Executive Vice President, Montana Farm Bureau Federation

Arctic Caucus
Co-Chair: Hon. Dave Ramsay, Minister of Justice of Industry, Tourism and Investment, Northwest Territories
Co-Chair: Hon. Stacey Hassard, Minister of Economic Development, Yukon 
Co-Chair: Rep. Bob Herron, Alaska State Legislature
Co-Chair: Sen. Lesil McGuire, Alaska State Legislature

Border Issues
Co-Chair: John Brenden, State Senator, Montana State Legislature
Co-Chair: Laurie Trautman, Associate Director, Border Policy Research Institute, Western Washington University
Alroy Chan, Director, Corporate Development, Rocky Mountaineer
Robert Eaton, Senior Manager, Government Affairs, Amtrak
Ben Lones, Advisor, Privy Council
Deborah Meyers, Director, Canadian Affairs and Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for North America Office of Policy, U.S. Department of Homeland Security
Dr. Geoffrey Hale, Professor, Political Science, University of Lethbridge
Barry Penner, Former BC Attorney General and Environment Minister
Sarah Swanson Partridge, General Manager, Highline Farm Equipment

Cross-Border Livestock Health
Co-Chair: Dr. Larry Delver. Alberta Beef Producers
Co-Chair: Dr. Marty Zaluski, State Veterinarian, Montana State
Dr. Aman Bath, Managing Vetinarian, CFIA
Dr. Tom Linfield, AVIC, USDA
Dr. Antonio Ramierez Veterinary Medical Officer, USDA/APHIS
Michael Latimerk, Executive Director, Canadian Beef Breeds Council
Dr. Joe Baker, State Veterinarian, Washington State

Cyber Security and Disaster Resilience
Co-Chair: John Gordnier, Consultant, Practical Solutions Intelligence Law
Co-Chair: Eric Holdeman, Director, Center for Regional Disaster Resilience
Co-Chair: Randy Middlebrook, Protective Security Advisor, Montana District, U.S.
Sen. Daniel Lang, Chair, National Security and Defense Committee, Senate of Canada 
Brett Lloyd, Executive Director, Domestic Preparedness Assistance Center
Department of Homeland Security
Brad Richy, Director, Idaho Bureau of Homeland Security
Nathan Shoop, Physical Security Specialist / Information Security Auditot, Zoot Enterprises, Inc.
Wendy Friedrich, Senior Intelligence Officer, Department of Homeland Security Intelligence and Analysis


Energy
Co-Chair: Sen. Cliff Larsen, Montana State Legislature
Co-Chair: Gary Weilinger, Vice President, External Affairs, Spectra Energy
Tim Baker, Policy Advisor for Natural Resources, Montana Governor's Office
Michael Cashell, Vice President, Transmission, NorthWestern Energy
Chris Hodge, Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, NaturEner
Peter MacConnachie, Senior Sustainability Specialist, Suncor
Mike Monea, President, Carbon Capture and Storage Initiatives, SaskPower
Greg Schnacke, CCS and Enhanced Oil Recovery, Denbury
Chris Scolari, Policy Advisor for Energy and Waste, WGA
J.R. Tolbert, Senior Director, State Policy, Advanced Energy Economy

Energy and Environment
Chair: Paul Manson, Chairman, Sea Breeze Power Corp
Kevin Davis, Director of Sales, Quadlock
Dr. Ron Melton, Director, Pacific Northwest Smart Grid Demonstration Project, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Ken Nichols, Principal EQL Energy 

Expanding Natural Gas Markets
Co-Chair: Rep. Caddy McKeown, Oregon State Legislature
Co-Chair: Ian Burkheimer, Director of Business Development, Plum Energy
David Bennett, Director, Communications and External Relations, FortisBC
Abraham Kim, Director, Mansfield Center
Dan Kirschner, Executive Director, NW Gas Association
Ines Piccinino, Assistant Deputy Minister, Upstream Development Division, Ministry of Natural Gas Development of BC
Vern Wadey, Vice President, Jordan Cove

Forestry
Co-Chair: Sen. Chas Vincent, Montana State Legislature
Co-Chair: Tom Partin, President, American Forest Resource Council
Robert Bonnie, Under Secretary for Natural Resources and Environment, USDA
Jessica Crowder, Policy Advisor,  Office of Wyoming Governor Matt Mead
Chad Davis, Senior Policy Analyst, Oregon Department of Forestry
Bob Harrington, Montana State Forester, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation
Russ Hoeflich, Vice President and Senior Policy Advisor, Restoring America's Forests Program, The Nature Conservancy
Gerry MacDougall, Regional Executive Director, British Columbia Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations
Dr. Thomas Maness, Dean, College of Forestry, Oregon State University

Invasive Species
Co-Chair: Sen. Arnie Roblan, Oregon State Legislature
Co-Chair: Dr. Mark Sytsma, Vice President for Research, Portland State University
Jennifer Andreas, Director, Integrated Weed Control Program, Washington State University
Lisa Debruyckere, Creative Resources Strategies
Robyn Draheim, Aquatic Invasive Species Coordinator, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Services
Virgil Dupuis, Extension Director, Salish Kootenai College
Jeff Forester, Executive Director, Minnesota Lakes and Rivers Advocates
Cindy Sawchuk, Strategic Advisor, Environment and Sustainable Resource Development, Alberta
Kate Wilson, Aquatic Invasive Species Program Coordinator, Environment & Sustainable Resource Development, Alberta
Ray Callaway, Professor, University of Montana
Travis Ziehl, Assistant Supervisor, Teton County Weed and Pest
Kyle Bloodsworth, Natural Resource Specialist, Minnesota Department of Natural Resources

Market Access
Co-Chair: Scott Rudderham, Senior VP, Operations, Canpotex Ltd.
Rep. Gael Tarleton, Washington State Legislature
Joe Ritzman, SSA Marine
Wendy Hutchinson, Crow Tribe

Mining
Co-Chair: Sen. John Coghill, Alaska State Legislature
Co-Chair: Tammy Johnson, Executive Director, Montana Mining Association
Hon. Bill Bennett, Minister of Energy and Mines, British Columbia
Karina Briño, President & CEO, Mining Association of British Columbia
Ed Fogels, Deputy Commissioner, Department of Natural Resources, State of Alaska

Public Private Partnerships
Rick Adcock, Managin Director, MWH Infrastructure Development Inc.
Mark Romoff, President & CEO, The Canadian Council for Public-Private Partnerships

Tourism
Co-Chair: Meg O'Leary, Director, Montana Department of Commerce
Co-Chair: Dave Cowen, General Manager, Butchart Gardens
Alroy Chan, Director, Corporate Development, Rocky Mountaineer
Christopher Dorrington, Bureau Chief, Multimodal Planning Bureau, Montana Department of Transportation
Rob Eaton, Senior Manager, Government Affairs, Amtrak
Glenniss Indreland, Member, Montana Tourism Advisory Council
Ryan Malane, Vice President of Marketing, Black Ball Ferry Line
Taylor Middleton, General Manager, Big Sky Resort
Trina Mousseau, Chief Marketing Officer, Tourism Victoria
Paul Nursey, President & CEO, Tourism Victoria
Peter Schrappen, Director of Governmental Affairs, Northwest Marine Trade Association
Greg Wirtz, President, Cruise Lines International Association, Northwest

Trade & Economic Development
Co-Chair: Dan Ashton, MLA, British Columbia
Co-Chair: Webb Brown, President/CEO, Montana Chamber of Commerce
Greg Gianforte, Founder, Bozeman Technology Incubator
David Giuliani, Board Chair & Co-Founder, Washington Business Alliance
Mark Grobmyer, Managing Director, P80 Group Foundation 
Christian Haeuselmann, Chair, Global Cleantech Cluster Association

Transportation
Co-Chair: Sen. Chuck Winder, Idaho State Legislature
Co-Chair: Bruce Agnew, Director, Cascadia Center
Sen. Bert Brackett, Idaho State Legislature
Kenneth Holgard, Hazardous Materials Specialist, Federal Railroad Administration
Jack Isselmann, Senior Vice President, External Affairs & Programs, The Greenbrier Companies
Dean Wise, Vice President, Network Strategy, BNSF
Laureen Kinney, Assistant Deputy Minister for Safety and Security, Transport Canada
David Miller, Assistant Vice-President for Government Affairs, CN
Congressman Bill Owens, Senior Strategic Advisor and Independent Consultant, McKenna Long & Aldridge LLP
Philip Romero, Professor of Finance, University of Oregon

Water Policy
Co-Chair: Sen. Jim Honeyford, Washington State Legislature
Co-Chair: David Hill, Director, Centres and Institutes and Research Advocacy (CIRA) University of Lethbridge
Spencer Cohen, Senior Economist, Community Attributes
Tim Davis, Director, Department of Natural Resources, Montana
Richard Moy, U.S. Commissioner, International Joint Commission
Mike Nemeth, Environmental Specialist, Alberta WaterSMART
Derek Sandison, Director, Office of the Columbia River, Washington Department of Ecology

Workforce Development
Co-Chair: Sen. Maralyn Chase, Washington State Legislature
Co-Chair: Shawna Argue, Former President, APEGS
Kim Allen, FEC, P. Eng., MBA, Chief Executive Officer, Engineers Canada
Mary Kaye Bredeson, Executive Director, Center of Excellence for Aerospace & Advanced Manufacturing
Linda Crerar, Director, Center of Excellence, Homeland Security and Emergency Management
Shana Peschek, Director, Construction Center of Excellence

Speakers confirmed as of June 25. Additional speakers may be confirmed before the summit.

University of Montana Offers Innovation With Technology-Enhanced Research

Workers construct the University of Montana's new state-of-the-art data center facility, which boasts the highest energy efficiency ratings possible.
An upgrade of technological facilities and advanced research networks connectivity at the University of Montana has enhanced the University's research, entrepreneurial support and business incubation activity.

Students, faculty and entrepreneurs working with the university in Missoula, Montana, enjoy access to this improved technological infrastructure, which matches or exceeds the capacity of other flagship institutions across the region.


UM recently completed a state-of-the-art modular data center facility. The facility is sustainable and boasts the highest energy efficiency ratings possible today. This nationally recognized approach to data-center space now supports production servers, high-performance computing and advanced data storage on UM's campus. The new data center space is an outstanding takeoff point for regional and national network peering, along with access to cloud services.

UM also recently became an Internet2 Connector point at 100Gbps. The connection allows the University to connect far-flung research and educational institutions as the only Internet2 connector point along the northern tier of states between Seattle and Minneapolis.
"Our Internet2 connectivity in Missoula represents an opportunity to expand research and educational opportunities for our University, our state and regional partners in the Pacific Northwest," UM CIO Matt Riley said. "Internet2's network includes connectivity and collaboration with Northwest entities such as the Pacific Northwest GigaPoP in Seattle, CENIC in California and Oregon, and BCNET in Canada."

The National Science Foundation has funded on-campus network upgrades for research. Additionally, high-profile research projects benefit from UM's technological infrastructure advances such as NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive mission to map soil moisture worldwide, the University's Brain Initiative, Fire Center research and a long list of biological science projects.

"There is an atmosphere of 'we are in the best position to do the research' here at UM," Riley said, "which is important given the rich set of research opportunities in the state of Montana."
This upgraded combination of technological facilities and connectivity enhances UM's research, entrepreneurial support and business incubation activity. This is reflected by Montana's continued status as the top state in the U.S. for entrepreneurial activity as recognized by Kauffman Foundation's Index of Startup Activity.

"High-tech startups especially have found Missoula to be a conducive atmosphere for growth," said Scott Whittenburg, UM vice president for research and creative scholarship. "Entrepreneurial support opportunities specific to UM include the University's MonTEC business incubator facility and Blackstone Launchpad, and both have access to our new technology infrastructure."
Photo credits: 
Big Sky Resort
University of Montana
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